EIGHT police dogs are facing the axe along with their handlers and 65 traffic cops as part of further cuts at the West Midlands force, the Police Federation has been told.

It is proposed that more than £2 million is to be lopped off the budget for providing round the clock traffic policing in the West Midlands, which could result in up to 65 fewer officers.

And, it has been claimed, that eight police dog teams could be axed if a budget cut of almost £600,000 is rubber stamped.

The two departments were among 42 put under the microscope in the force’s latest cost-cutting drive as it looks to find £38 million in savings in order to meet the Government’s austerity targets.

The project, known as Priority Based Budgeting, will help save a total of £25 million.

The proposed changes will see a total reduction in 173 police officer posts and 217 police staff.

The vast majority of the savings are in support functions as the force looks to reduce the costs of running the organisation.

However, it is understood to have caused tensions between senior officers and staff representatives, which are said to have emerged during a meeting between them and Dep Chief Con David Thompson on Tuesday.

Details of the savings each of the departments are being asked to make have been revealed in a report to the Police Authority today. However, the exact nature of how these savings will be met has not been revealed.

According to the report, the vast majority of the savings will be to the back and middle offices and specialist support services. But 11 per cent will be to frontline policing units.

Other areas facing budget cuts will be in forensic services, which could total almost £1.5 million. It is also proposed to trim budgets for scenes of crime officers by £500,000, along with other areas such as cleaning, fleet management and building maintenance.

A force spokesman said: “We remain committed to protecting the delivery of service we provide to the public and it is therefore critical that we explore all possible options available to us to ensure we provide the most cost efficient and effective service we can.

“This involves scrutinising our budgets to try to identify where potential savings can be made, considering ideas for future opportunities to reduce costs and maximising the way we procure services and facilities in future to obtain the best value for money.

“As part of phase one of this work, a detailed review has been undertaken into a number of business functions.”